Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchAn update on the states
Episode 281
Last week's Wisconsin Supreme Court election put a spotlight on state-level politics and the way that national politics can influence what happens in…
11 months, 4 weeks ago
The problem(s) with platforms
Episode 280
Cory Doctorow coined the term "enshittification" to describe how tech platforms have eroded over time. According to him, the process goes something l…
1 year ago
Lessons from Charlottesville and January 6
Episode 279
As the lead investigator into both the 2017 racist riot in Charlottesville and the January 6 insurrection, Tim Heaphy has a unique perspective on the…
1 year, 1 month ago
Christianity as a democratic institution
Episode 277
Chris Beem, McCourtney Institute for Democracy managing director and research professor of political science at Penn State, talks with author Jonatha…
1 year, 1 month ago
The power of practicing peace
Episode 276
It's easy to feel defeated in the face of political challenges, but this episode shows that everyone has the capacity to create positive change and c…
1 year, 2 months ago
Pushing back against political violence
Episode 275
Instances of political violence around the 2024 election and vote certification on January 6, 2025 did not come to fruition the way some experts fear…
1 year, 2 months ago
Democracy reform in 2025 and beyond
Episode 274
The results of the 2024 election — from Donald Trump's victory to the failure of democracy reform efforts like ranked-choice voting and citizen-led r…
1 year, 3 months ago
Season finale: Reflecting on a new political era
Episode 273
This episode marks the first time that all five of our hosts (Michael Berkman, Chris Beem, Cyanne Loyle, Candis Watts Smith, and Jenna Spinelle) are …
1 year, 3 months ago
Sustaining democracy during wartime
Episode 272
Balazs Trencsenyi, co-director of Invisible University for Ukraine (IUFU), joins us to discuss the university's work to uphold education and democrac…
1 year, 3 months ago
Telling America's story at the National Archives
Episode 271
Colleen Shogan, archivist of the United States, joins us for a conversation about democratizing access to national records and running a non-partisan…
1 year, 4 months ago